Richard Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Ever since breaking into the NFL in 1994, Rex Ryan has been known for being a defensive mastermind. He had been that way through his tenure with the Baltimore Ravens. Nothing really changed for Ryan when he took over as head coach of the New York Jets four years ago.
After a very successful first two years as the Jets’ head coach, Rex has had a sort of fall from grace. Some of it was his own doing, whether it was things he said or moves he made on the field. For the most part though, people we’re able to overlook it and still support the guy.
However, that really isn’t the case anymore, as things have slipped fast for Ryan. From the looks of things the last few days, Ryan may be on his way out the door as head coach.
Sure, when Ryan got here, he had every right to be cocky. He lead the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games, and had the team looked like they were primed to win the big one. Ryan supported Mark Sanchez during the troubled times he has gone through, and still does.
Things have fallen hard for Ryan though. His Jets have lost 13 of their last 19 games, he has gone through three offensive coordinators over the last three years, and he has said he doesn’t really control of his locker room. Also compounding the issues are his bizarre behavior during post-game press conferences.
That stuff is bad enough. What he has done to Sanchez has almost sealed the deal for Ryan to be gone from the Jets.
We all know that Geno Smith had a horrible game on Saturday night against the New York Giants. Smith’s bad game had made it seem all but certain that he wasn’t going to win the starting job for the team. But why would Ryan then do what he did, and throw Sanchez to the wolves in the fourth quarter?
Sanchez got hurt in a situation he shouldn’t have been in to begin with. That shows that Ryan didn’t have a real clue as to what he’s doing with his offense. Ryan has lost control of his team, and with everything going on with his quarterbacks, he can’t get it back under control.
Now the big question comes in: what should Jets current GM John Idzik do here?
Idzik has seen how Ryan has handled the quarterbacks, and he has got to be wondering if he can really trust Ryan to coach and nurture a young quarterback. It will undoubtedly be one reason why Idzik will look to bring in his own head coach to rebuild and repair the team Ryan is certain to field this season.
Ryan may still be able to turn this thing around and save his job, depending on how this season goes. With all that has gone on and the way things look at the moment, Ryan could be done as the Jets’ coach at the end of the year.
Matthew Solomon is a Sports Writer for Rant Sports! You can follow me on Twitter, Like me on Facebook, and Join my Group on Google!
